RUSSIA!

St. Petersburg
"A Winter Wonderland"

Last night we arrived at our final destination for the trip, St. Peterburg, Russia. We arrived by train late at night, around 10:30. I am now eleven hours ahead of the United States; crazy concept to grasp!
Although we were all very tired from our long 6 hour train ride, we were dazzled by all the lights that welcomed us into the city. There was still tons of Christmas decorations and lit up trees and streets, that it was truly a gorgeous site.

Look how weird the McDonald's are spelled in Russia hehe. Our hotel is about 30 minutes from the downtown area, but it is very nice. We are staying at the Park Inn, which is actually the same branch that we stayed at during our visit to Berlin, Germany on opening tour. I like the hotel because it is so modern- yet comfy at the same time.

Apparently Cierra's alarm clock went off the next morning, but since I am so used to using my phone as an alarm clock, I didn't hear it or recognize it. Oh I forgot to mention, soon after I wrote my blog post the other day before leaving for Finland, I took some ibuprofen for a headache, and I guess the water bottle top was not completely secure because it leaked all over my purse, and my phone shorted out and my ipod was temporarily unusable. (As of today it is working though, thank goodness!). So yeah, that has made the past couple of days interesting. I am so dependent on my cellphone (for those that know me, know this VERY well). Anyways, it kind has taught me how dependent I am on my appliances and without the distractions of a cell phone is maybe a blessing in disguise. Its not that I use it a lot here or anything (its ridiculous in price), but its more the concept of being "connected to the outside world" and having the option to use it when and if I need it. Its more of security blanket that I have, that when its gone, I feel very vulnerable...

Anyways, I woke up super late with only about 15-20 minutes to get ready, which is not a lot at all in Laura time... I did it though, and Cierra and I had a quick Breakfast at the hotel. I ate the eggs, which I heard is probably not a good idea, but oh well. They are like my favorite thing to eat for Breakfast! :). Yeah, forgot to mention also that we are not supposed to drink the tap water here, or eat fruit without peels, and eggs and dairy products. What's left? Honestly... I think I will just not eat so much fruit and definitely not the water (that's what they recommended the most). I guess you could say I live on the edge... haha just kidding.

Check out all this ice! Well, on with the rest of the day! We had a lovely bus tour and we stopped at several pretty spots and took pictures. I will post them on facebook when I get a chance, for all those that are interested. For lunch, we all ate together at the top of this shopping mall and it ended up being a very nice restaurant! When we first got there, there was a salad/veggie on our plates, but I wasn't too fond of it. We had a really good chicken-noodle type soup after, but it was SO hot! The next course was super hot as well (temperature wise- we are talking SCOLDING HOT!) but it was pretty good as well- it was some sort of beef stew with potatoes. I am not a fan of beef, so I didn't eat that, but the flavors were pretty good. It was kind of a gravy-like consistency, and I really liked the potatoes that were with it. I love potatoes! For desert, we had vanilla icecream, which I proceeded to put in my coffee because no cream was present. I had never done this before, and I think it is a fabulous invention! It cooled down my coffee, as well as added a hint of vanilla flavor and creamy consistency. :)

Once lunch was over, we had the option to go on the first bus which could take you directly back to the hotel, or stick around the shopping district for a couple hours and then pick you up at 5:00. I was ambivalent at first as to which bus to go on, but I decided to go on the first bus to avoid breaking the bank (I tend to go crazy when I shop hehe). I was also tempted to buy a phone before lunch was over, but I realized... hmm no one speaks English and I don't want to get ripped off! haha. I think I can live a few days without a phone... it will be good for me, right? :)

NOW its dinner time! Ciao buddies!